The Shield AI V-BAT Block 5.3, featuring new landing gear. (Shield AI)
Shield AI has unveiled a block upgrade of its V-BAT unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), dubbed Block 5.3, featuring a heavy-fuel engine, satellite communications, and autonomy capabilities for communications-denied environments. Several prototypes have conducted nearly 2,000 hours of flight testing, and the company is gearing up to deliver the first examples to an undisclosed customer.
The new engine, which averages 33 hp, is designed to run on JP-5 and JP-8, commonly used fuels in US armed services. The Mogas-powered engines on previous models averaged around 25 hp.
“We've worked on the engine itself for several years,” Heath Niemi, Shield AI's vice-president for growth and business development, told Janes on 8 April at Navy League Sea-Air-Space 2025 held at National Harbor, Maryland. “We invested in that ourselves to build the engine, because that is a requirement for several of our US government customers, specifically the navy, [which] requires heavy-fuel engines to operate off of their ships.”
The increased power allows for greater payloads – now up to 40 lb (18.1 kg), surpassing the 25 lb (11.3 kg) of previous versions. The new block has larger fuel tanks that can hold up to 40 lb of fuel, allowing the UAV to remain airborne for up to 12 hours.
The aircraft also integrates artificial intelligence (AI), which Shield AI calls Hivemind, intended to assist the UAV in completing its mission and returning to base in a communications-denied environment. One newly autonomous function is take-off and landing, which can now be performed without an operator.
“We do have a Hivemind integration that's ongoing … and ultimately swarming, teaming autonomy that's coming down the road,” Niemi said.
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